“We are both so busy at the moment but David has bought me a painting I fell in love with in Barcelona for our first anniversary.

“It was the perfect first wedding anniversary paper gift.

“David is keeping his plans for us close to his chest. I’m sure it will be amazing.”

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Keri-Anne with husband David

With the Olympics in Rio only three years away and with Keri-Anne possibly taking part, plans for a family are still in the future.

She added: “We will have children but not in the near future.

“We are pretty busy and starting a family is not on the cards just now but it’s really exciting to think about it and, yes, our children will be Scottish.”

Keri-Anne is buoyant again after yet another bruising competition. She is just back from the World Championships in Barcelona, where, after a brutal 10km open-water race in which she claims she was hit, pushed, dunked and swum over, Keri-Anne lost the crown she’d won at the 2009 and 2011 championships.

It came a year after she missed out on a medal at the London Olympics, coming fourth after being punched and ending up with a black eye.

On the World Championships, Keri-Anne, who churned out 75,000m a week at the Royal Commonwealth Pool in Edinburgh prior to the event, admitted: “The physicality aspect has always been a part of the race but I’ve never experienced it quite that bad before.

“I am happy with my performance as I only started training in February, so I take heart in the fact I was so close to the best in the world.

“Fourteenth in the world and only six seconds behind the winner of a two-hour race isn’t such a bad place to be.

“I was disappointed with the actions of some of the girls and the referees during the race, though. There needs to be tougher rules on deliberate acts of interference that hinder the performances of others.

“However, I’m aware that is the nature of the event and, if continuing with this event, it will be an area I need to work on. Getting stronger on land would allow me to deal with the rough and tumble in the race and reduce the impact mentally, physically and emotionally.

“I have always had the attitude that you treat people the way you want to be treated. I really believe this and will continue to do so. It is a shame I am no longer the world champion but I will forever be a double world champion.”

It’s an example of her strong will that Keri-Anne, who was the first Team GB athlete to qualify for the London Games, is able to take it so well – especially after getting a black eye during her Olympic swim last year.

She said: “It was a hard hit to take, not just the impact causing a black eye but dealing with the emotion, too, was very difficult.

“There’s no question quitting did cross my mind but I know I am one of the best open- water swimmers in the world.”

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Keri-Anne shows off her gold medal with GB team mate Rebecca Adlington at the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, China.

Keri-Anne is certainly one of the poster girls for swimming in the UK now. And the sport is becoming much more popular in Scotland.

While Sir Chris Hoy’s incredible achievements have given Scots cyclists a boost, the Great Scottish Swim shows that swimming is also becoming popular, with statistics claiming that 2.5million people across the UK started swimming after last year’s London Olympics.

But that’s in a pool and Keri-Anne’s sport is open-water swimming. Most of us probably had a dip in a loch as kids but, as an adult, it’s just too cold a prospect. However, the sportswoman doesn’t think so.

She said: “I’m always surprised and encouraged by the huge number of people tweeting me about their open-water adventures all over Scotland. I think the beauty of the scenery acts like a magnet, drawing people to the beautiful rivers, lochs and sea around Scotland.

“A perfect example would be the Boxing Day dips I’ve done in Aberdeen. Me and hundreds of other crazy people running into the North Sea. The exhilaration and excitement of it soon masks the freezing temperatures.”

Keri-Anne was born in Johannesburg and started swimming at four. At the age of eight she was noticed by the British swimming’s national performance director and at 13 the family moved to Heywood, Greater Manchester, to train.

In 2002 she broke the British Junior 800m freestyle record but missed out on a 2006 Commonwealth Games medal and her financial support was cut.

She switched to open-water swimming and excelled, representing Britain in the 2008 Olympics, winning silver in the 10km open-water event. The swimmer then took the World Championship titles in 2009 and 2011.

After hubby David retired, the couple moved to Edinburgh and Keri-Anne joined Warrender Baths Club in Marchmont.

There is no open-water swimming at next year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow but Keri-Anne is deciding on what involvement she could have, whether competing or maybe in front of the cameras. If she does swim though, it will be for England.

Laughing, the swimmer said: “I love Scotland and have really enjoyed living here, however, I’m proud of my English roots.

“I think my family would be unhappy with me if I turned Scottish. I will plan my next season with my coach Laurel Bailey very shortly and will no doubt be involved with the Glasgow Commonwealth Games somehow. David and I are always competitive when it’s Scotland versus England.”

For information on the Great Scottish Swim, visit www.greatswim.org/scotland